Category Archives: Space Travel

Mars Rover Tour Shows The Future Of Space Travel

The concept vehicle shows what a manned Mars rover might look like, Nikki Battiste reports (1:51). WCCO 4 New At 5 Aug. 5, 2017

Interview: Dr. Praful Kelkar Talks ALSDr. Praful Kelkar is a neurologist with Allina Health. He sat down with Liz Collin to discuss the latest steps in finding a cause and a cure for ALS (). WCCO 4 News At 10 Aug. 5, 2017

Following Missile Launch, UN Imposes New Sanctions Against North KoreaNorth Korea will pay a heavy price for launching a ballistic missile into space more than a week ago, Danielle Nottingham reports (1:44). WCCO 4 News At 10 Aug. 5, 2017

What's On WCCO Sunday Morning Aug. 6, 2017?Esme Murphy tells us what she'll cover on WCCO Sunday Morning (1:58). WCCO 4 News At 10 Aug. 5, 2017

FBI Investigating After IED Explodes At Bloomington Islamic CenterFederal investigators are trying to figure out who set off an improvised explosive device at a Twin Cities mosque, Kate Raddatz reports (2:26). WCCO 4 News At 10 Aug. 5, 2017

Men March In High Heels To Stop Sexual AssaultMen in Anoka got a taste of what it's like to walk in high heels, and they did it for a good cause, Liz Collin reports (0:31). WCCO 4 News At 6 Aug. 5, 2017

Better Business Bureau Warns Homeowners Of Alarm Company ScamIt's common for security companies to go door-to-door to look for new business. But the Better Business Bureau is sending a warning after fraudulent claims, Kurtis Ming reports (1:21). WCCO 4 News At 6 Aug. 5, 2017

Better Business Bureau Warns Homeowners Of Alarm Company ScamIt's common for security companies to go door-to-door to look for new business. But the Better Business Bureau is sending a warning after fraudulent claims, Kurtis Ming reports (1:21). WCCO 4 News At 6 Aug. 5, 2017

Mars Rover Tour Shows The Future Of Space TravelThe concept vehicle shows what a manned Mars rover might look like, Nikki Battiste reports (1:51). WCCO 4 New At 5 Aug. 5, 2017

Sessions Warns Would-Be White House LeakersPresident Donald Trump is on vacation for the next couple of weeks -- but his administration is cracking down on government leaks, reports Mola Lenghi (1:41) WCCO 4 News At 10 August 4, 2017

Mars Rover Tour Shows The Future Of Space TravelThe concept vehicle shows what a manned Mars rover might look like, Nikki Battiste reports (1:51). WCCO 4 New At 5 Aug. 5, 2017

New Gadgets To Make Dorm Life More BearableCollege life in 2017 is a little different, Kim Johnson and Jason DeRusha report (2:02). WCCO This Morning Aug. 4, 2017

New Fast Food Tech Could Lead To Job CutsFast food restaurants are getting even faster as they bypass traditional methods to take and even make orders, Wendy Gillette reports (2:53). WCCO This Morning Aug. 4, 2017

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Mars Rover Tour Shows The Future Of Space Travel WCCO | CBS ... - CBS Minnesota / WCCO

August 4, 2017 4:46 PM

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CAPE CANAVERAL (CBSMiami) The Kennedy Space Centers Mars rover is wrapping up its U.S. tour. The concept vehicle shows what a manned Mars rover might look like.

Carter and Marshall Demars got their first taste of the future of space travel meeting former astronaut Mike Massimino and getting up close to a prototype of NASAs newest Mars rover.

The size of the rover is just humongous. I thought it would be one of those puny rovers, but its just so big, said Marshall.

The nearly three-ton monster mobile looks like its made for Hollywood, but its meant for the Red Planet.

(Source: CBS Newspath)

NASA engineers did, in fact, team up with movie props designers to create the 11-feet high, 24-feet long vehicle.

Since it wont ever really travel to the Mars, the mission here is earthbound.

I think the major purpose of it is probably to create excitement, get ideas going, get people excited about going, said Massimino.

With six massive wheels, it can only travel up to 6 mph.

The rover has four seats in the front and drives like an SUV. Theres detachable lab where astronauts can do experiments.

Massimino says the challenge in sending people to mars is the cost.

The Kennedy Space Center funded this rover, but it doesnt have the expensive life support needed to make a months-long trip possible.

To ensure a safe journey and a safe return of people is really expensive and thats going to take a budget, a commitment from government that is very significant, said Massimino.

Marshall says hes game to be the first man on Mars.

Ive always been the guy that wants to discover things, so I would go for sure, he said.

And hes just the right age. NASA hopes to send a man or woman to mars around the year 2030.

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Mars Rover Wrapping Up US Tour To Showcase Future Of Space Travel - CBS Miami

Wally Funk is one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s. Courtesy of Wally Funk hide caption

Wally Funk is one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s.

Wally Funk has spent her life in pursuit of a dream. The pilot, flight instructor and almost-astronaut longs to go to outer space.

In 1961, she was part of a group of female pilots who took part in tests to determine whether women were fit for space travel. The project was run by the same doctor who developed tests for NASA astronauts and the women became known as the Mercury 13.

"I get a call said, 'Do you want to be an astronaut?' I said, 'Oh my gosh, yes!' And he said, 'Be here on Monday to take these tests,' " the 78-year-old Funk recounted to her friend and flight student, Mary Holsenbeck, during a recent visit to StoryCorps in Dallas.

Mary Holsenbeck (left) and Wally Funk at StoryCorps in Dallas. The two friends talk every day at 10 p.m. and often take to the skies together. StoryCorps hide caption

Mary Holsenbeck (left) and Wally Funk at StoryCorps in Dallas. The two friends talk every day at 10 p.m. and often take to the skies together.

"I had needles stuck on every part of my body. Tubes running up my bottom. So I went along with it. It didn't bother me," she said. "And then they said, 'We want you to come with a swimsuit; you're going to go into the isolation tank.' Well, I didn't know what that was. The lights come down, they said try not to move. Well, I didn't have a whole lot to think about. I'm 20, I had $10 in my pocket. And then finally they said: 'Wally, you were outstanding. You stayed in 10 hours and 35 minutes. You did the best of the guys that we've had and of the girls.' "

Funk was preparing to go to Florida for more testing when she found out the program had been shut down. So, though they passed many of the same tests as the men, Funk and the other Mercury 13 women never got to go to space.

"When we got the telegram, that was it, and I never heard anything more," she explained. "So I went on about my own business. I'm not going to sit back and pine over anything."

No, Funk didn't pine. Instead, she applied to NASA four times but got turned down because she didn't have an engineering degree. But Funk hasn't given up on going to space.

"I never let anything stop me," she said. "I know that my body and my mind can take anything that any space outfit wants to give me high altitude chamber test, which is fine ... centrifuge test, which I know I can do five and six G's. These things are ... easy for me."

Wally Funk poses in front of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft in 2015 in the Mojave Desert. Funk has a ticket and hopes to be on its first flight into space. Courtesy of Mary Holsenbeck hide caption

Wally Funk poses in front of the Virgin Galactic spacecraft in 2015 in the Mojave Desert. Funk has a ticket and hopes to be on its first flight into space.

Funk bought a ticket for Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic commercial spaceship and hopes to be on board its maiden voyage into space. Holsenbeck plans to be there, cheering Funk on when she finally blasts off.

"You are probably the most fearless person I've ever known in my life," she told Funk, adding that the aspiring astronaut was not just her hero, but also her mentor.

"I went through a very nasty divorce and you made a phone call at the right time one afternoon that saved my life," Holsenbeck said. "You said, 'Mary, let's go flying and I said, 'Wally, I can't afford to go flying.' And you said, 'I didn't ask you that meet me at the airport.'

"And taking me flying, you would pick out a cloud and you would say 'Mary, you see that cloud up there?' I'd say 'Yes, ma'am.' You said, 'Point the nose of this airplane toward that cloud and just fly to it.' And it was the most freeing feeling. I felt like I was in charge of something when I was in that airplane, and that helped me to put myself back in charge of my own life," Holsenbeck continued. "So yeah, you fix the problem."

Wally Funk and Mary Holsenbeck in 1993. Courtesy of Mary Holsenbeck hide caption

Wally Funk and Mary Holsenbeck in 1993.

The two women talk every day at 10 p.m., recounting their days. They call it their 10 o'clock flight.

"So we go up into the clouds together because Wally, you've always told me, 'When you have problems? Go to the clouds.' "

Audio produced for Morning Edition by John White.

StoryCorps is a national nonprofit that gives people the chance to interview friends and loved ones about their lives. These conversations are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, allowing participants to leave a legacy for future generations. Learn more, including how to interview someone in your life, at StoryCorps.org.

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This Pilot Is Headed To Space With Or Without NASA - NPR

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk tweeted Thursday that he's looking forward to sending humans into space next year, confirming an earlier report by Popular Mechanics that the company's manned space flight is on track.

Popular Mechanics issued its report late last month. Musk, who has been busy juggling events at this other company Tesla , got around to commenting on it Thursday.

SpaceX and Boeing , both of which received contracts from NASA to build spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, have changed launch plans from 2017 to 2018. In 2014, NASA awarded SpaceX a $2.6 billion contract to carry crew to space.

SpaceX is developing the Dragon 2 spacecraft and Boeing is building the CST-100 Starliner. Musk founded SpaceX to lower the cost of space travel with the eventual goal of colonizing Mars.

SpaceX is planning a demonstration mission in February 2018, followed by test in June that will have two crew members aboard, according to NASA .

Boeing is scheduled to conduct an orbital flight test in June, followed by a manned test in August 2018

SpaceX announced in February that it plans to send to private citizens in a crewed Dragon in a trip around the moon next yearan important step towards the company's ultimate goal. At the time, SpaceX said the private mission would be launched once the operationational Crew Dragon missions are underway for NASA.

SpaceX's ultimate aspiration is to travel to Mars. SpaceX is already working with NASA scientists to locate possible landing sites on Mars . Paul Wooster, who manages the guidance, navigation, and control systems on SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft, said during a presentation in March at MicroSymposium 58 that the landing sites were for both its Red Dragon spacecraft as well as future human missions

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Elon Musk Confirms SpaceX Is On Track to Send Humans Into Space - Fortune

By Scott Smith Times Recordssmith@swtimes.com

Noah Burgin is banking on someday being an astronaut and traveling to Mars, although he isn't sure how his mother is going to react to his gravity-defying goal.

The 15-year-old son of Jennifer and Bradley Burgin of Fort Smith, Burgin is about to begin his sophomore year at Southside High School, and he already knows that he wants to spend his adult years working at NASA. He thanks his recent, "wonderful" experiences at the Advanced Space Academy program at the Huntsville, Ala.-based U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's official visitor center.

"The Advanced Space Academy program was a great experience for me," said Burgin, who received a full-ride scholarship to attend the week-long Advanced Space Academy program. "It helped me overcome some of my fears, and it showed me that I can do things if I really want to do them."

Burgin was selected to receive the program's scholarship, as well as the special Hall of Fame scholarship and its accompanying Hall of Fame medal. The medal is awarded to a select few participants by Hall of Fame members, who are Space Academy alumni who went on "to do great things" in their respective communities, he said.

"That scholarship included an award packet that had signatures from astronauts, and I was able to get my picture with Hall of Fame members," Burgin said. "It was a pretty cool deal."

Burgin's application for the scholarship included letters of recommendation from his eighth-grade science teacher, AmyAdams, and Captain Brad Kidder, public affairs officer for the Arkansas Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Burgin also had to write two essays and design a "patch" that included different drawings that represented him before he could be considered an Advanced Space Academy attendee.

"The Advanced Space Academy is for older kids kids in grades 10 and older," he said. "It's more detailed, and we are assigned specific roles in simulations. We get to act out those roles in those large simulators.

"There are more details," Burgin added. "We have more anomalies, and we have more trouble with our missions. It's a bit harder, and we have to do more specific commands during the simulation."

Burgin said he and his fellow academy participants also benefited from team-building exercises via zip-lining sessions, scuba diving programs and the Pamper Pole.

"The Pamper Pole is where you climb up a telephone pole that has these little tiny pins in it," he said. "At the top of the pole, there's a circular top that spins, and that was the scariest part. You have nothing to pull up onto; you just have to balance yourself up on that pole."

Those on the Pamper Pole then are supposed to jump off the pole and use their hand to touch a nearby rope.

"You're harnessed in, of course, and the harness then brings you down," Burgin said. "Eventually I went on it, even though I was terrified of it at first. It definitely was one of the scariest things I did, but it was really fun. I ended up enjoying that a lot."

Burgin also felt excitement while scuba diving at the academy. Learning about the equipment and how to give "OK" and "Not OK" hand signals simultaneously were educational and entertaining, he said.

"They had this giant tank filled with water, and you're down there for 20 or maybe 30 minutes," said Burgin, who attended the regular Space Academy program in August 2016. "There's a massive structure under there made of PVC pipe. You get to swim around it and inspect it, and there's a basektball hoop attached to the PVC pipe. You throw a bowling ball through the hoop, and that helps signify weightlessness in outer space."

Joining his fellow team members to create a heat shield also was rewarding for Burgin. The shield was created to protect an egg from a blowtorch.

"You put the heat shield right up to the blowtorch, and after the torch is on the shield for three minutes, they see if your egg has cooked at all,' Burgin said. "If the egg hasn't cooked, you pass, but if the egg did cook, then you don't pass. It was fun and challenging."

Burgin thinks he's always been somewhat of a fan of NASA and outer space travel. He playfully blames the "Lego Space" set he cherished as a younger child.

"One day on vacation, we decided to visit the Space Center in Huntsville, and that really opened my eyes," Burgin said. "I started really getting interested in the space program, NASA and third-party space programs, and I asked my parents, 'Do you think I could go to the Space Academy?'

"I think it costs about $1,000 to go to the Space Academy, but my family couldn't afford to dish out that kind of money," he added. "My parents encouraged me to raise money, so they bought me over 500 lollipops, and I started selling them to everyone."

Burgin began to make a profit on the lollipops, but he still lacked the money to attend the Space Academy. That is when his grandfather, H.C. Varnadore, stepped into the picture.

"My grandpa, who was big on the space program and was a lieutenant colonel for the 188th Air Base in Fort Smith, decided to pay the rest of my way to Space Camp last year," Burgin said. "This year, he bought me a NASA flight suit to wear at the Advanced Space Academy."

Despite interacting with the other academy members for only one week, Burgin formed solid friendships that continue to blossom, thanks to Facebook and email.

"I was very lucky because when I was there, they had schools come from all over the world," he said. "There were only three or four Americans in my group over half of my group was from New Zealand, and others were from Belgium and Australia so we got to meet a bunch of other kids from around the world. It was a cultural experience."

A former viola player who plays trumpet in the school band program, Burgin isn't sure where he will attend college, but he is positive he will pursue work opportunities at NASA. He said he feels it's his mission to "help" the NASA space program.

"I dream about becoming an astronaut, and the Advanced Space Academy has shown me that anything is possible, as long as you work hard at it and stay dedicated," Burgin said."And our age is perfect. Our generation will be going to Mars. People want to give us the skills to pursue that opportunity. I would definitely love to go to Mars. I'd even love to go to the moon, as long as it's somewhere in space."

Jennifer Burgin sounded less gung-ho when it came to discussing her son's wish to go into outer space.

"I was barely able to leave my son alone in another state, in Alabama, for the Space Academy," she said with a laugh. "I had a hard enough time with that, let alone the thought of my son going to another planet.

"But I know Noah had a blast with the program," Burgin added. "He has experiences that he would never have gotten otherwise. He was able to set goals for himself, and he saw that he can achieve things. He used to never get onto roller coasters. We went to Universal after the program, and Noah was riding every scary ride possible."

Like Jennifer Burgin, Bradley Burgin is proud of Noah.

"It takes people with a little more nerve and determination than what his Mom and I have to go into outer space," he said. "It took extra steps to get someone to go to the moon, and it will take even more steps for someone to go to Mars. If it's Noah's heart's desire to go to Mars, then I say, 'Go with it.'"

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Fort Smith teen attends Advanced Space Academy, sets sights on Mars - Times Record

August 4, 2017 by Rob Garner After a large sunspot rotated out of Earth's view on July 17, 2017, NASA instruments could still track its effects on the far side of the star. This imagery from NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory on July 23, 2017, captures an eruption of solar material -- a coronal mass ejection -- from that same active region. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/STEREO/Bill Thompson

On July 5, 2017, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory watched an active regionan area of intense and complex magnetic fieldsrotate into view on the Sun. The satellite continued to track the region as it grew and eventually rotated across the Sun and out of view on July 17.

With their complex magnetic fields, sunspots are often the source of interesting solar activity:

During its 13-day trip across the face of the Sun, the active regiondubbed AR12665put on a show for NASA's Sun-watching satellites, producing several solar flares, a coronal mass ejection and a solar energetic particle event. Watch the video below to learn how NASA's satellites tracked the sunspot over the course of these two weeks.

Such sunspots are a common occurrence on the Sun, but less frequent at the moment, as the Sun is moving steadily toward a period of lower solar activity called solar minimuma regular occurrence during its approximately 11-year cycle. Scientists track such spots because they can help provide information about the Sun's inner workings. Space weather centers, such as NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, also monitor these spots to provide advance warning, if needed, of the radiation bursts being sent toward Earth, which can impact our satellites and radio communications.

On July 9, a medium-sized flare burst from the sunspot, peaking at 11:18 a.m. EDT. Solar flares are explosions on the Sun that send energy, light and high-speed particles out into spacemuch like how earthquakes have a Richter scale to describe their strength, solar flares are also categorized according to their intensity. This flare was categorized as an M1. M-class flares are a tenth the size of the most intense flares, the X-class flares. The number provides more information about its strength: An M2 is twice as intense as an M1, an M3 is three times as intense and so on.

Days later, on July 14, a second medium-sized, M2 flare erupted from the Sun. The second flare was long-lived, peaking at 10:09 a.m. EDT and lasting over two hours.

This was accompanied by another kind of solar explosion called a coronal mass ejection, or CME. Solar flares are often associated with CMEsgiant clouds of solar material and energy. NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO, saw the CME at 9:36 a.m. EDT leaving the Sun at speeds of 620 miles per second and eventually slowing to 466 miles per second.

Following the CME, the turbulent active region also emitted a flurry of high-speed protons, known as a solar energetic particle event, at 12:45 p.m. EDT.

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Research scientists at the Community Coordinated Modeling Centerlocated at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Marylandused these spacecraft observations as input for their simulations of space weather throughout the solar system. Using a model called ENLIL, they are able to map out and predict whether the solar storm will impact our instruments and spacecraft, and send alerts to NASA mission operators if necessary.

By the time the CME made contact with Earth's magnetic field on July 16, the sunspot's journey across the Sun was almost complete. As for the solar storm, it took this massive cloud of solar material two days to travel 93 million miles to Earth, where it caused charged particles to stream down Earth's magnetic poles, sparking enhanced aurora.

Explore further: NASA's SDO watches a sunspot turn toward Earth

An active region on the sunan area of intense and complex magnetic fieldshas rotated into view on the sun and seems to be growing rather quickly in this video captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory between July ...

The sun emitted a trio of mid-level solar flares on April 2-3, 2017. The first peaked at 4:02 a.m. EDT on April 2, the second peaked at 4:33 p.m. EDT on April 2, and the third peaked at 10:29 a.m. EDT on April 3. NASA's Solar ...

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 8:29 pm EDT on April 17, 2016. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. ...

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 6:34 p.m. EDT on March 12, 2014, and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, or SDO, captured an image of it. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation ...

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 12:20 p.m. EDT on July 8, 2014, and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured images of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from ...

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 4:16 a.m. EDT on June 25, 2015. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of ...

On July 5, 2017, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory watched an active regionan area of intense and complex magnetic fieldsrotate into view on the Sun. The satellite continued to track the region as it grew and eventually ...

Spectacular sunsets and sunrises are enough to dazzle most of us, but to astronomers, dusk and dawn are a waste of good observing time. They want a truly dark sky.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) was part of an international team that recently discovered a relatively unpopulated region of the main asteroid belt, where the few asteroids present are likely pristine relics from early ...

The elemental composition of the Sun's hot atmosphere known as the 'corona' is strongly linked to the 11-year solar magnetic activity cycle, a team of scientists from UCL, George Mason University and Naval Research Laboratory ...

According to one longstanding theory, our Solar System's formation was triggered by a shock wave from an exploding supernova. The shock wave injected material from the exploding star into a neighboring cloud of dust and gas, ...

Scientists have found the strongest evidence to date for a stratosphere on an enormous planet outside our solar system, with an atmosphere hot enough to boil iron.

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Two weeks in the life of a sunspot - Phys.Org

The space agency is looking for a planetary protection officer, someone to guard the planet from "organic-constituent and biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration."

In other words, the officer's responsibilities include ensuring humans don't contaminate space, and other organisms don't contaminate Earth either.

Doing so will maintain worlds in their natural states and avoid contaminating explored environments, NASA says.

The chosen one will be "responsible for the leadership of NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of their implementation by NASA's space flight missions," according to the job listing.

Protecting the planet is no easy task. Interested candidates should have advanced knowledge of planetary protection, the agency says.

Part of the job perks include frequent travel -- no word yet on whether it'll be to space.

And the pay is not too shabby, either. It starts at about $127,000 a year.

Read this article:

NASA's planetary protection officer job is out of this world - CNN

Curt Godwin

August 3rd, 2017

An artists concept depicting one of the twin Voyager spacecraft. Humanitys farthest and longest-lived spacecraft are celebrating 40 years in August and September 2017. Image & Caption Credit: NASA

Well past their expected lifetime, and farther from Earth than any other human-designed spacecraft, the Voyager robotic explorers are approaching another significant milestone: 40 years of operation. The two interplanetary travelers, each launched in 1977, have traveled billion of miles and expanded humanitys understanding of the Solar System and beyond.

Voyager 1 launches aboard a Titan IIIE on Sept. 5, 1977. (Click to enlarge) Photo Credit: NASA

Beginning in the 1960s, scientists realized that a coincidental alignment of the outer planets would allow a visit by a single spacecraft. Utilizing a gravitational assist by each, the spacecraft would be able to alter its trajectory and speed to allow the encounters with very little expenditure of fuel.

This plan, coined the Grand Tour, was initially to be a single spacecraft with multiple, redundant systems designed to survive the journey. High costs, however, induced a change to the program resulting in the twin Voyager spacecraft each with a primary mission to Jupiter and Saturn, with an extended mission to the remaining outer planets on the table should funding and conditions allow.

Though christened the first of the line, Voyager 1 was actually the second of the pair to launch. Lifting off from Launch Complex 41 (LC-41) atop a Titan IIIErocket on September 5, 1977, the spacecraft was set on a course to visit the two largest planets in the Solar System: Jupiter and Saturn.

Reaching the Jovian system 18 months later, Voyager 1 provided data leading to many monumental discoveries.

One of the most surprising findings was the presence of active volcanoes on Jupiters moon Io. These features the first of their kind found anywhere beyond Earth were unexpected and were determined to be the primary source of material interacting with Jupiters strong magnetic field.

After collecting scientific and photographic data on other moons in the Jovian system, Voyager 1 continued on its journey to Saturn, a destination nearly 20 months and 401 million miles (646 million kilometers) distant.

Adding to the observations already collected by Pioneer 11, Voyager 1 made its fair share of discoveries at the Ringed Planet. Unexpectedly, Saturn was found to have a significantly different concentration of helium in its upper atmosphere as compared to Jupiter. This discrepancy may be attributed to the helium molecules sinking through the lighter hydrogen and collecting deeper in the planet.

Beyond the planet itself, a primary target in the Saturnian system was the moon Titan. Long known to harbor a thick atmosphere, the moon was such a vital target that mission planners opted to plot a trajectory to allow for the best observations of Titan rather than travel a path that would have taken it to Pluto in 1986.

An image of Voyager showing the location of the Golden Record. Image Credit: NASA

Voyager 2 launches aboard a Titan IIIE on Aug. 20, 1977. Photo Credit: NASA

Voyager 2, though second in number, was launched 16 days before its speedier sibling. Perched atop a Titan IIIE, the interplanetary spacecraft lifted off from LC-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 20, 1977.

Like its counterpart, Voyager 2s early targets included Jupiter and Saturn. However, unlike Voyager 1, Voyager 2s trajectory allowed for some flexibility the spacecraft could be repositioned to make further observations of Titan, or it could be adjusted to also visit the outermost planets, Uranus and Neptune.

At Jupiter, Voyager 2 witnessed the same volcanic activity on Io, as well as discovered a few, faint rings around the gas giant. Data collected at Europa lead scientists to believe the ice-encrusted moon holds a deep below the surface, and several new moons were discovered before the spacecraft sped out of the system on its way to Saturn.

Upon reaching the second-largest planet in the Solar System more than two years later, Voyager 2 confirmed many of Voyager 1s discoveries, in addition to collecting atmospheric and temperature data.

With its primary mission complete, Voyager 2 was given the go-ahead to begin its extended mission by visiting Uranus and Neptune.

The spacecraft became the first man-made object to visit Uranus (January 1986) and Neptune (August 1989), providing scientists with their first-ever close observations of the two planets, and earning the record of being the first spacecraft to fly by four different planets.

The 64-meter-wide antenna dish in Goldstone, Calif. was expanded to 70 meters in the 1970s. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In order for NASA to communicate with the two Voyager spacecraft, the space agency had to expand its Deep Space Network (DSN) of radio communication antennas.

One legacy of those antennas used for the Voyager mission is still visible in the Mojave Desert, California: NASAs Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex.

At Goldstone, in the 1970s, construction crews began building new dishes and expanding old ones to enable NASA to communicate with the two probes as they traveled farther out into deep space. These dishes now dominate the landscape; the largest of them is 230 feet (70 meters) in diameter a true colossus, which was expanded from its original 210-foot (64-meter) width.

The smaller dishes at the complex are 112 feet (34 meters) in diameter, which were also increased in size from their original 85-foot (26-meter) diameters.

Expansions of antenna dishes were also carried out at NASAs other DSN sites around the world, located in Madrid (Spain) and Canberra (Australia). The Voyager program helped to accelerate these upgrades to the network.

In a sense, Voyager and the DSN grew up together, said Suzanne Dodd of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), director of the Interplanetary Network Directorate and Voyagers project manager since 2010. The mission was a proving ground for new technology, both in deep space as well as on Earth.

By the late 1970s, NASA began to explore the concept of antenna arrays by combining the signals from multiple dishes pointed toward the Voyager probes, thereby giving them the equivalent sensitivity of one giant antenna.

With their primary missions complete, and their planetary targets investigated, the two spacecraft began their journey into interstellar space.

Indeed, Voyager 1 now more than 13 billion miles (20.92 billion kilometers) from Earth and on a northbound trajectory out of the Solar System was the first of the pair to reach interstellar space, generally accepted to have occurred on August 25, 2012.

Voyager 2, traveling slightly slower than its partner, is on a southbound exit, but it will probably not reach interstellar space until late 2019 or early 2020.

Though the spacecraft have exceeded expectations, their power supply continues to drain and will no longer be able to provide electricity to the explorers scientific instruments by the mid-2020s. Moreover, the computers and systems designed to support operations rely on an increasingly rare skill: the ability to work with 1970s-era hardware.

The technology is many generations old, and it takes someone with 1970s design experience to understand how the spacecraft operate and what updates can be made to permit them to continue operating today and into the future, stated Suzanne Dodd in a release issued by NASA.

Nevertheless, the two groundbreaking spacecraft have provided invaluable information to scientists.

I believe that few missions can ever match the achievements of the Voyager spacecraft during their four decades of exploration, noted Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate at NASA, in the release. They have educated us to the unknown wonders of the universe and truly inspired humanity to continue to explore our solar system and beyond.

This montage of images of the planets visited by Voyager 2 was prepared from an assemblage of images taken by the two Voyager spacecraft. Image & Caption Credit: NASA/JPL

Video courtesy of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Tagged: Heritage Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lead Stories NASA Voyager

Curt Godwin has been a fan of space exploration for as long as he can remember, keeping his eyes to the skies from an early age. Initially majoring in Nuclear Engineering, Curt later decided that computers would be a more interesting - and safer - career field. He's worked in education technology for more than 20 years, and has been published in industry and peer journals, and is a respected authority on wireless network engineering. Throughout this period of his life, he maintained his love for all things space and has written about his experiences at a variety of NASA events, both on his personal blog and as a freelance media representative.

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Our Spaceflight Heritage: 40 years after launch, NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft continue to return valuable data - SpaceFlight Insider

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The possibility of being able to live forever appears to have come a step closer with scientists in the United States proving they can revive cryogenically frozen life.

Writing in the journal ACS Nano, researchers show they can preserve brains and bodies of zebra fish embryos in a state of suspended animation at sub-zero temperatures and then revive them.

The researchers added an antifreeze solution that prevented the expansion and destruction of cells.

The large size of the yolk still impedes rapid cooling and warming, thereby yielding lethal ice crystal formation during cryopreservation, the researchers wrote.

But the major breakthrough has come in adding another solution to the anti-freeze gold nano-rods: When added to the anti-freeze, lasers are shot at the frozen embryos, allowing them to be warmed up much quicker, the researchers found.

Some 10 per cent of the embryos survived and then continued to grow as normal, the scientists reported.

The U.K.-based Express noted not only could the technique be possibly used in the future to help extend human life, it could potentially be used for long distance space travel, allowing humans to wake up at a future point of their choosing.

Mars alone would take six months to reach with current technology, and it took an unmanned spacecraft nine and a half years to reach Pluto on the edge of the solar system.

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Scientists: Breakthrough in Re-Animation Shows Hope for Space Travel - Newsline

In all of human history, never have the faraway wonders of the galaxy felt closer to us than they do today, thanks to the ongoing advances in spacefaring technologies that science continues to make. Why, then, should there be any need to make space travel cool and sexy?

First, lets be clear about what we mean by sexy. Simply put: sexy sells. Whether its soft drinks, skateboards, or hair straighteners, being able to make the idea of something in some way attractive is what makes people want to buy into it.

So when we talk about the prospect of space exploration, thats clearly something you cant go and pick up from the supermarket, or order through an online store.

For the majority of the public, space doesnt matter much beyond being a romantic backdrop for a kiss under the stars. So why should space matter to them?

I will probably not see the opportunity to visit space in my lifetime, but I wish I could do it. The young people of two or three hundred years from now will be able to travel to Venus or I dont know where. They are so lucky!

As for space fashion and design, if youre looking 10 centuries ago we were in heavy armor. That was not very glamorous. The evolution is going from the armor to Jean Paul Gaultier. So if you imagine now the future, all the fabrics will be lighter and efficient.

As consumers of a news culture thats almost perpetually dominated by the strife and strains of a world that seems hell-bent on self destruction, be it economically, politically, or literally, it would be easy to give up on the possibilities of space travel and focus instead on solving the problems that surround us.

But if we dont continue our efforts to venture into space, experts believe were in trouble. Stephen Hawking said it himself, we need to colonise another planet within 100 years or were doomed.

Considering that we are living through a time when the US government has cut significant funds from NASAs budget, it may never be more important than it is right now to stoke the fires of the publics imagination when it comes to venturing into space.

The right stories can inspire the next generation of astronauts, spacecraft designers, scientists and astrophysicists to take up the responsibility of space exploration. And with NASAs bold new plan to get people to Mars by 2030, along with commercially-owned space companies promising to take space tourists to the moon within the next decade, there really is more reason to be excited than ever.

An illustration of what NASAs Mars 2020 rover would look like, set to be launched in 2020. Its mission is to seek signs of habitable conditions on Mars. Credit: Nasa

The challenge is in proving to people they need to learn more about space - whether to inspire them to one day work at NASA or to consider buying a ticket to the ionosphere from Elon Musk or Richard Branson. But how do we drum up interest when it seems so out of reach? With science-fiction, of course.

Science fiction itself is a vast genre that incorporates many forms of speculative fiction, from space travel, to time travel, making it a difficult subject to pin down for focused discussion.

More often than not, it offers fiction thats grounded in science-based fact or emerging theory. There remains plenty of room for creative licence when it comes to speculating about the science and technology of the future thats why some stories straddle the line between science-fiction and fantasy, and why youll hear some people talking about hard sci-fi, which is a sub-genre characterised by a rigorous attention to scientific detail, rather than indulging in too many flights of speculative fancy.

The Fifth Element blended science fiction with fantasy. Credit: The Fifth Element/Sony Pictures

Science fiction has an important role to play in igniting interest in space because it can make it seem not only possible, but appealing, stylish and sexy, and this presents endlessly fruitful opportunities for the creative industries to explore ideas about what the future may hold for the human race, especially with regard to our relationship with space.

I often start with whats new now and then create my own interpolations of what that technology will look like in the future.

We spoke to science fiction and fantasy illustrator Dave Dorman, whose work can be found in the pages of Star Wars and Alien comics, about the role sci-fi creators can play.

I find it helpful to use reference photos and articles/news stories about the latest technologies quite a bit," he told us. The science fiction imagery I create often reflects current technology, machines, computers, robotics and other technical advances, he explained.

I often start with whats new now and then create my own interpolations of what that technology will look like in the future.

I hope the fans who are seeing my work, as well as the amazing images created by other illustrators, painters, computer effects wizards and the rest, will be inspired to be the scientists, technicians and visionaries for our collective future, much like Bradbury, Asimov, Sturgeon and Heinlein were for the generation that were influential in running the space race in the middle of the 20th century.

The Martian, based on Andy Weirs hit novel, became a box office hit in 2015, raking in more than $663 million worldwide and moving up the ranks as one of the highest grossing sci-fi movies ever made. But it wasnt just popular among mainstream movie audiences. It was also screened for the astronauts aboard the ISS as a special treat, because of its accuracy. That comes as no surprise considering Ridley Scott partnered up with NASA to make the scenes, science and tech look as real as possible.

What The Martian did so well was retain scientific integrity (naturally, the science it presents still met with some criticism) throughout a narrative journey that was able to hold the interests of an audience hungry for entertainment. With Matt Damon in the lead role, it didnt just make speculative space sexy, it made (mostly) real space exciting which is an even greater artistic feat.

Matt Damon is stranded on Mars in The Martian. Credit: The Martian/Fox Movies

The Martian isnt even a rarity at the box office either. Alfonso Cuarns Gravity is a film in a very similar vein and although some of the science it presents isnt entirely accurate, it still offers an experience of space that feels grounded in the real world, with two glamorous leads in Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Christopher Nolans Interstellar followed a similar path, and before that came Moon, Apollo 13, and so on, going all the way back to 2001: A Space Odyssey and beyond.

What these films prove is that its possible to combine authentic science with a little artistic license and still make space travel exciting and relevant to contemporary audiences.

As with The Martian, perhaps the reason these films were hits with audiences is partially because their creators involved real world experts in the field. Kubrick famously shipped in a few dozen minds from the heart of NASA during the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Christopher Nolan worked with astrophysicist Kip Thorne when he was developing Interstellar.

And yet sci-fi isnt beholden to science when it wants to make space the place to be.

The Fifth Element presents an inspiring vision of the near-future thats catwalk sexy and riven with real-world foibles.

Luc Bessons The Fifth Element is a stellar example of a visually-stunning space opera that skews toward fantasy, but still retains an earth-bound sensibility, with its cab-driving protagonist winning contest tickets for a cruise ship holiday in space. And who knows, maybe Bransons sexy hotels will look like Fhloston Paradise 50 years down the line.

With superstar fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier crafting the look and the feel of the movie's characters, The Fifth Element presents an inspiring vision of the near-future thats catwalk sexy and riven with real-world foibles.

Jean Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for Luc Bessons space opera. Credit: The Fifth Element/Sony Pictures

More recently, the surprise hit and game-changer for Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy, exploded onto cinema screens with an extremely stylised look, grounded in the story of an orphan boy from Earth growing up on the criminal fringes of the cosmos.

Speaking about the creative process behind Guardians, writer-director James Gunns has said that his movie is "more about yellow and blue and teal and orange. But I also really wanted to up the ante with the pulp elements.

So we harken back a lot to 1950s/60s pulp novel colors and that look of 'Flash Gordon' - both the 1980s version and the earlier comics. Really grabbing onto this pulp feeling and bringing it alive in a bright, big, colorful way was important."

A still from Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Credit: Valerian/STX Entertainment

Guardians 2 picked up the same ball and ran even further with it back in April and now Luc Bessons Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets has arrived in cinemas, oozing sci-fi chic with star-studded style (yep, Rihanna is in it) and an eye-popping palette of otherworldly sights and sounds.

And lets not forget the imminent Blade Runner sequel: Blade Runner 2049. Although the original took place on Earth, its plot was driven by the consequences of the desire to colonise space and, if the trailers are any indication, Denis Villeneuves sequel may even take us to the off-world colonies.

As superficial as it might sound, if weve learned anything from the success of sci-fi blockbusters, its that style certainly sells.

Branson is tapping into the commercial appeal of a fashion brand to normalise the idea of buying a ticket to the moon.

The fly-on-the-wall footage of space travel from NASA that the public sees via YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat is dominated by bulky spacesuits and big dials on bland spaceships.

It makes sense, then, that style-conscious Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic have enlisted Y-3 (the decade-long collaboration between designer Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas) to design and make the flight-suits for our future astronauts and pilots...garments worn by our operations and maintenance teams as well as our hosting staff.

Branson is clearly tapping into the commercial appeal of a fashion name brand to normalise the idea of buying a ticket to the moon by aligning it with high-street fashion. Its even got fashion bible GQ talking about it. Outer space meets inner city and vice versa.

Although its not just commercial enterprises that are taking cues from the worlds of sci-fi and fashion to define what space travel and exploration will look like in the future. Potentially aware it has an image problem, NASA has recently teamed up with Reebok to create the Floatride Space Boot SB-01 that would look more at home in The Fifth Element than it would on the ISS.

Reebok has reworked Sigourney Weaver's classic hi-top sneakers from Aliens

This signals an interesting move for NASA, as well as Reebok. The sports design brand who isnt new to space design having created the Alien Stompers to replicate the shoes Sigourney 'Ellen Ripley' Weaver wears in Aliens. But now moving from sci-fi space design to actual space design could open the floodgates for many other brands to put speculative, concept designs to good use.

Another great example of this marriage of real world and sci-fi design is the way car manufacturer Lexus was recently called upon to help with concepts for what transportation of the future might look like by Luc Besson for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Inspiration for the Skyjet was mainly taken from nature. Dolphins, whales and sharks inspired aerodynamic design. Credit: Lexus

Using what the brand already implements into its vehicles, like artificial intelligence and a 'HMI' (human machine interface), they helped Bessons design team to dream up the Skyjet (pictured above, and at the top of this article), a single-seater spacecraft that was used throughout the movie.

Dorman sees a sci-fi as a vital source of inspiration for future-gazing engineers.

I believe the marriage of technology and science fiction right now (aided by current visual effects technology and artistry) helps make things once thought to be complete fantasy now seem more believable," he said.

"I also think part of the job of the sci-fi artist is to foreshadow how things will be in the future.

Stanley Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey has long been applauded for its accurate portrayal of future tech. Credit: 2001: A Space Odyssey/MGM

A similar sentiment was shared by science-fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer

He told us: A third of my work time each year is spent on research, on attending and speaking at science conferences, on talking with working scientists and technologists, and on visiting universities, laboratories, and corporate and government facilities.

But this is a two-way street. The reason I, and other science-fiction writers, have access to these places is that the working scientists recognise the symbiosis: they learn as much from our speculative responses to their breakthroughs as we learn from them.

Ive been an advisor to NASA, DARPA, Google, XPRIZE, the Canadian Federal Government, and many other organisations as have many of my peers.

So the crossover between imaginary and actual is well recognised as being rich and fertile ground for all, with the active cross-pollination of ideas occurring more readily than we might think.

A concept drawing of Virgin Orbit's second stage rocket as it makes its way to orbit. Credit: Virgin

We may now be only a few years away from the reality of space tourism, with NASAs Journey to Mars set to put human astronauts on martian soil by 2030, and companies such as Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin constantly grabbing headlines due to their ambitious plans to do similar.

There will always be a trade-off in sci-fi between whats scientifically accurate and whats dramatically satisfying. But these movies are inspiring people to look again into the night sky and wonder what our destiny out there could be.

To celebrate the release of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, director Luc Besson is today behind the lens at TechRadar. Heres what weve got in store for you:

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is released in UK cinemas August 2nd, and is out now in the US.

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Star spangled glamour: the mission to make space travel cooler than ever before - TechRadar